Abstract

: This lecture considers the optimisation of functional programming languages (particularly `lazy' languages) based on `strictness analysis'. Such optimisations alter evaluation order to allow more efficient translation into von Neumann architecture or to increase the parallelism in a sequentially specified system (such as that implied by lazysemantics) . Keywords: Functional languages, lazy evaluation, eager evaluation, strictness analysis, abstract interpretation. 1 Functional Languages The term `functional' as applied to programming languages has been used to apply to a number of related but different models of computation. As used here it will refer to purely functional languages, characterised by a complete lack of side-effects and a very direct relationship with the -calculus. This rules out languages such as ML and Lisp which, although emphasising the status of functions in the construction of programming and containing well-understood pure subsets, include forms of assignmen...

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